Running out
by Dezarae
Summary: When Riley is approached by Agent Seduski about a plot to kill Ben and Abi and take their money, he immediatly agrees to help in any way he can. Even if it means pretending to leave. Meanwhile Ben and Abi are getting married, without Riley...
1. Chapter 1

**-Ok so I've recently been on a National Treasure kick, because I Love those movies- mainly the first one, but the second one is okay. This is my first story in National Treasure, so be kind. If you haven't noticed I tend to skip around on my stories a lot, one genre to another. Well, I'm working on it folks. All my other stories will be continued as well.**

**The first chapter of this is kind of short, and things might seem a little bit out of order when you're reading the chapters, but trust me they aren't. It's kind of like those stories where they flash back, and then flash forward to the present. This story starts near the end. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own National Treasure, strangely enough. Lol. Jk.**

**Running out… **

The fact that Riley wasn't at his own best friend's wedding cast a shadow over the whole thing, he didn't really even know why he wasn't here. Ben's best friend wasn't at his side, and it took its toll on him. If Riley had been there, he would have animatedly been telling him why they chose this church, but he wasn't. So that was that.

All thoughts of his troubles and his wayward friend were banished when he saw Abigail at the entrance of the church. When Abi was by his side, he took her hand, and they listened and waited with giddy anticipation to be joined in matrimony.

"And if anyone has reason to keep these two apart, speak now or forever hold your peace!" the lively Irishman projected to the church.

Ben smiled at Abi, and squeezed her hand gently as they waited. She was beautiful, in her white dress. It was simple and made her look amazing, and Ben looked at her adoringly. "I love you," he mouthed.

She grinned back at him.

"Well. Alright then! B…" he was cut off by the sound of the very old church doors banging open.

There were shrieks of surprise and horror when three black clad, gun wielding men entered, walking up the isle. "We have a reason," one of them joked to his friend, who chuckled at the joke.

"Everybody down, and no one gets hurt…" the leader shouted to the room, to the priest he said, "Sorry Padre, there won't be a wedding today, these two are coming with me!"

Father O'Malley looked at the man in surprise, "Well, you should be lettin 'em be joined in matrimony before ye go an' kill em."

"We're not here to kill them," the man snapped, looking around. He turned to Ben, "You are Benjamin Gates aren't you?"

"Eh, would you believe me if I said that my name was Nicholas Cage?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

The man did not appreciate the joke, and hit him in the stomach.

"So I guess you're not here for the wedding," he continued. He was stalling for time; someone had to have called the police. "If you are, then I certainly didn't invite you. Did you Abs?"

"Shut up!" the man yelled at him. "Shut up and get moving,"

"Now that wasn't very nice," Ben said with a mock look of annoyance. He was hit again for his efforts. Rubbing his jaw he stood up. "Now listen," he began, but stopped when he saw the weapon now pointing at Abigail. "All right," he conceded. "We'll come,"

As they were led back down the isle, he patted his father's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll be alright," he called to him, over his shoulder. "I'm sure this is just a simple mistake."

"You wish," the man leading them out muttered to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next one, it too is also on the shorter side, but they'll get longer. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure.**

**Chapter 2:**

"Riley we have been best friends since first grade…we dated for _3 years_…we were engaged for Christ sake; I think I can pretend that we're a newly wed couple. Although I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite description of us in the end." the petite blonde named Cecilia said with slight sarcasm.

"Ouch…" he winced. "That wasn't necessary,"

"But it's true. So let's go and get your friends."

He stopped her for a moment; hand on her shoulder, their eyes meeting. It was as if time had stopped for a minute, but then things sped right back up. He removed his hand and she grabbed the key's from him.

"Hey!" he cried after her, "You are _not_ driving my car!"

"Too late! Hurry up!" she shouted back to him.

"Well… (he couldn't think of anything) …Fine!"

He sighed, shaking his head in defeat. With her, he could never win.

Ben sat quietly in the corner desperately trying to figure a way out of this. This was not where he wanted to be, especially on the day of his _wedding._ And Abi, oh dear lord was he afraid she'd lose it. After all their careful and meticulous planning their wedding had still been ruined. Not in the way she had thought, in a new way completely, a way that had never even crossed her mind. They had been kidnapped by some creep- as he had found out on their way here- who was obsessed with getting money; their money. And now they were being held in a place that no one would ever find: a secret room in the basement of a gala in DC.

Not that he wanted anyone to find him, especially not his mom or dad. It could be extremely dangerous and he didn't want them hurt. And Riley, well he didn't even think Riley would bother coming. They had had a falling out at least a month ago. The two best friends had not spoken since. He didn't even know where Riley was; let alone how he could help. Riley had even gone so far as to not show up for his best friends wedding.

He didn't really want Riley coming for him either, because Riley could get hurt too. And even though he was pissed as hell at the guy, he didn't want him hurt. The question was how to get out of here? It was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. He had been trying to feel around the wall for hours, but was afraid that this secret room only opened from the outside.

"Abi? Are you alright?" he asked softly, feeling for his wife to be- or rather should be now wife.

"I'm fine," she said tiredly. "How's the search coming?"

"Not good," he admitted feeling guilty.

"Don't worry, we'll find the way out," she replied with all the determination she could muster. The air was getting thick in here and they both knew that it would start running out soon.

Ben held on to her tight and closed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**CH. 3 is up! Yes! The whole story is actually finished, but I'm not sure I'll post it all today.**

**Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I do not own National treasure or any of its characters.**

Riley let out a girlish squeal when Celia took a sharp corner and the Ferrari was practically in the next lane.

She gave him a look and he glared at her. "You wreck my car and I'll be pissed,"

"I'm not going to wreck your car," she said in exasperation.

"Yeah, u huh, just be careful…" he fidgeted with his tie, "I really hate these penguin suits. They are so uncomfortable and stiff. And I especially hate the shoes! I mean what is wrong with a good old fashioned pair of sneakers, or converse for that matter?"

"Shut up Riley," was her only reply.

And so he did, he sat quietly for the rest of the ride. As they drove in silence, he remembered the day this all began.

_He had been approached by Agent Seduski, Seduski told him he had caught wind of a plot against the Gates family and anyone who stood beside it. _

"_What are you doing here Seduski?" he ground out with a frown._

"_Helping you," Seduski said casually. He then went on to explain the plot against Ben and his family._

"_So why are you telling me, and not Ben?" he asked softly._

"_Because," Agent Seduski explained patiently, "You are the closest tie to Gates and his family. And I think we could use your help and wrap this up quickly."_

"_What do you want me to do?" he asked without hesitation._

"_I want you to have it out with him, and allegedly leave. But we'll really be moving you out of the way so we can put someone in near him for his protection. If this is the guy we think it is, he runs with a pretty large crowd. These guys after him are big, we've been trying to bust them for years; and now we may finally have the chance. You can help us by running the sting operations with your skills from behind the scenes."_

"_Why can't I just do it in my normal place, and we tell Ben?" he asked with confusion._

"_He needs to be acting natural, with no one to give it away. Doing this could save his life Poole and yours along with it. So will you do it?"_

_Riley blinked, "Yes,"_

"Riley, HEY! Riley!" Celia snapped at him, whacking him on the shoulder. "Snap out of it, we're here,"

"Good, I was beginning to think you took a wrong turn," he jibbed coming out of his pensive state.

She glared at him, "I never take wrong turns. And do you want to know _why_ that is?"

He was given no time to answer, "It's because I got the directions before hand and in any case I am not afraid to stop and _ask for directions _either"

"Are you just practicing for a fight?" he asked with a grin.

"Huh, you are impossible Riley, I mean good god." She turned sharply on her heels- her black party dress swirling around her legs- to leave, but he caught her arm, and very quickly pulled her to him. He kissed her briefly before pulling away.

"For luck," he said sheepishly at her dazed look.

"Right, lets go," she grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the gala.

Her tight grip on his arm shifted to a hand hold as they walked in, playing the part of the happy couple. They danced and laughed and then he excused himself to go to the bathroom; nodding at her as he left.

Riley looked at his watch as he went, he only had 30 minutes before Seduski figured out where he was. He followed his mental map to the basement.

Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary; yet his gut feeling told him that Ben had to be here somewhere. He leaned down to look at the books in a shelf, when he felt cold metal on the back of his neck. He straitened slowly- eyes going glassy for a moment.

"_Riley, this is Dylan Myers, the agent we will be putting in to keep an eye on Gates." Seduski said._

"_Nice to meet you pal, you take good care of them; alright?" he asked extending his hand._

_Dylan Myers was a tall and very handsome man. He was 6'1" with brown hair and emerald green eyes. He smiled reassuringly at Riley, "Don't you worry kid, I'll take care of them. Real good care." _

"_Good, I'll be watching you, and don't call me kid." he said waggling an eyebrow at the man, all the while making sure his eyes told the truth. _

_After Dylan was in place, he relaxed somewhat, though he still hated himself for having to hurt Ben and Abi like that. He and Dylan had become somewhat close, sharing a friendship – more or less. He began to trust him. _

But now he knew better, now he knew it was all a sham.

"Dylan," he said calmly, "I wasn't sure you were in on it, but I should have kept a better eye on you."

"Yeah, well _kid _you won't be keeping an eye on anyone in about a minute or however long it takes you to die," he sneered cocking the gun.

And then he paused, "Although, I hope you know that I am going to feel a little regret about killing you kid. We were almost friends,"

The metal came back.

Riley closed his eyes, and waited for it to come. When the shot fired, he stiffened. But when there was no pain, he looked around in surprise to see Celia holding a dart gun looking down at Dylan, with a troubled look in her eyes.

"I thought that he was on our side?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "me too."

Just then they heard a noise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch. 4! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own National treasure.**

**Note: The story switches between the side of the wall that Abigail and Ben are on, to the side Riley and Cecilia are on.**

"There has to be someway out!" Abigail cried in frustration.

"Well, it would help it we had a light, any kind of light. But Abigail, I'm afraid that the door only locks and unlocks from the outside,"

"Well we can't just give up!" she snapped at him.

"I know that, I really do, it's just that…."

At that moment they heard a sound.

"Was that a gun shot?" he asked curiously.

"Had to be," she replied. "Let's yell, maybe they'll let us out."

Ben looked at her with a frown, or he would have looked at her if there were light. "And what if the people on the other side of the wall, are killers?"

"Better to die out there, than in here," she exclaimed.

"Alright, I'm game." And they began yelling at the top of their lungs.

_Riley looked at his watch, he knew what had to be done. He sighed, and knocked on Ben's office door._

"_Come in," came the distracted sounding voice of Ben._

_As he entered, he looked around, as though memorizing every detail._

"_Riley, oh no, did I forget lunch?" he asked with a look of horror._

"_No, no, it's not that," he reassured; although he wished that were simply all it was._

"_Oh, good. For a moment I thought… but no, never mind. What can I do for you?" he asked curiously, as though he could partially sense that something was wrong. _

_He sighed again. "I'm leaving Ben."_

"_What? For how long? Are you going home for the week or something? Do you want me to come with you?"_

_Damn Ben, always the selfless one. "No, not for the week; leaving, as in leaving for good."_

"_What?!?" Ben asked looking stricken._

_This was where the acting had to come in; he had tried practicing for it. The irony of the situation was that whenever he had to give a speech or act, it was Ben he always went to so he could read it to him. Another irony of this situation was that not everything he had to say was untrue._

"_Listen, Ben," he snapped out suddenly. "I'm tired of it all. You hardly have time for me anymore. And I'm tired of always living in your shadow, being the side kick! I can't do it anymore, I'm sick of this. Sick of you!"_

_Like the part about being the shadow, and Ben never having time for him. _

_Ben looked at him mouth open, Riley cringed inwardly. He had never yelled at Ben, and Ben had never yelled at him unless he absolutely had to. Now here he was being an ass, yelling at his best friend. The guy looked like a puppy that had just been kicked by his best friend._

"_Riley, why did you never come to me about this? We can still…"_

"_NO Ben. We can't. Time's run out. I'm running out, there's nothing left to do."_

_Suddenly Ben looked angry, and Riley flinched; now he really was going to be yelled at._

"_Why the hell did you even come here Riley? If you're leaving why didn't you just go? Leave a note or something."_

"_I don't even know," he yelled back. Really, he yelled. Like very loudly. "I just thought I should let you know."_

"_Fine, I know. Now get out!" Ben cried back, his heart thumping wildly with his anger._

"_I'm already gone!" he shouted, leaving the office, slamming the door._

_As he exited the building he shoved past Abigail and Patrick rudely and ignored them. When he got outside, he slumped against the building._

"_You bug the office kid?" Dylan asked in his ear._

"_Yeah," he said letting out a huff._

"Did you hear that?" Cecilia asked with a frown.

Riley listened intently. "Yeah! It's Ben and Abi! They're here somewhere. One of these walls must open up to a secret room. We have to get them out quickly before we're missed. Thanks for following me and…"

"Saving your ass?" she asked with a smirk.

"Something like that," he replied with a twinkle in his eye as he felt the wall for a latch. He became frustrated when he couldn't find it. So he did the only thing he could think of.

"Ben! Where are you?" he yelled hoarsely.

--

On the other side of the wall, Ben and Abi stopped yelling.

"IS that…?" Abi asked in surprise.

"I think so," Ben said raising his eyebrows.

"Riley! We're here! Right here!" He yelled banging on the wall he was almost one hundred percent sure was the one that led out. Abi followed his example.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I'm posting the next few chapters today! I'm not sure I'll be able to update for a few days after this though. :-( But I will try my hardest. **

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed! It made my day:-) (and yes, i love smiley faces:-D)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own National Treasure or its characters. :-( **

**On the other side of the wall:**

They heard the banging and Riley found the direct spot and the two began frantically searching. "Hang on Ben! We'll get you out!" he shouted as they worked frantically.

"Yes," asserted a deep and very sinister voice from behind them. "Hang on Ben."

Riley turned on his heels to see the man he had been dreading. "Knox," he greeted- from his crouched position by the wall-with a little finger wave.

"Your time is over Poole, I knew you'd come here, and now I can finish you. It seems you've brought your friend, I guess I'll have to take care of the both of you." he raised his gun and took aim.

"Get down!" Riley screamed diving at Cecilia, knocking them both out of the way. They were both able to get behind something secure where they were shielded from the bullets.

"DON'T make this harder on yourself Poole, I have to do it. You'll go one way or another." he fired again in a series.

"Not a chance in hell!" he shouted back, tossing a rock in the opposite corner to distract the man.

"Where the hell is Seduski?" Cecilia hissed at him, leaning heavily on the couch they were using as cover...

"He should be here any minute now, hang on." He insisted back.

"We haven't got a minute!" she screeched.

"Okay, Okay, I'll distract him; you get Ben and Abigail out."

"But Riley…"

"NO, just do it. Okay? I'll be fine."

She nodded and watched him closely.

"Knox! I'm coming out! Don't shoot, I have a last request!"

--

"Riley! Hurry up! We're running out of air!" Abi screamed at the wall, which had been silent for several minutes now.

Ben leaned his head against the wall, clutching Abi's hand in his own.

"He'll figure it out, don't worry."

"Yes, but what's happening out there?" she asked exasperatedly.

They both went silent when they heard gun fire.

There was more silence and then:

"DON'T make this harder on yourself Poole, I have to do it. You'll go one way or another." he fired again in a series.

"Not a chance in hell!"

"Riley!" Ben shouted after minutes of quiet. "Don't do anything stupid! Get out of here!"

--

"Yes, Riley, get out of here," Jerry Knox said mockingly.

"You know, I never liked you Knox!"

"_We've confirmed the identity of the man after Gates," Seduski said tersely as he entered the small safe house apartment that Riley and Dylan were sharing._

"_Excellent," Riley said, pumping his fist in the air. "Does this mean I go home?"_

"_Not yet, kid; we have to catch the guy first." Dylan answered rolling his eyes._

"_Oh," Riley sighed._

"_His name is Jerry Knox. Find all that you can about him Poole." Seduski said grabbing a slice of pizza._

_Riley did research him and what he found, he didn't like. The guy was into some pretty conspicuous activities. But he was low on cash, and he was a friend of Ian Howe (Surprise surprise); who must have suggested Ben as a way out to him. And so he was targeting the Gates family, which just pissed Riley off._

"The feeling is mutual, you pesky little worm! Since day one, you've been a thorn in my side; even though I knew who you were, how I could use you, and what you were capable of. And now its time for you to die, because there's no other way this could have ended. Surely you knew that?" Knox asked with a grin.

Riley began to back up, and turned to run, but it was too late, Knox pulled the trigger.

Riley went down in a limp heap.

"Riley!" Cecilia screamed in horror, just managing to duck as fire came her way.

--

"What is going on out there?" Abigail snarled. "If anything has happened to Riley…"

"He's fine, I'm sure of it," Ben said. "He's probably taking his time on purpose,"

Perhaps he spoke too soon.

They listened for his voice but couldn't hear it. And then:

'Bang!' a gunshot rang out.

"Riley!" was the scream that followed. And then more gun fire.

Ben's eyes widened and he began banging on the wall once again. "Whoever's out there let me out! …"


	6. Chapter 6

** Well here's the next chapter, I hope you find it magnificant. Or Excellent. Or amazing. Or good. Or just okay. It would be good if you liked it in one of the ways I've just mentioned. :-)**

**Disclaimer: I hate writing this thing. Because Obviously i do not own National Treasure, or I would be bloody rich and not writing it for fan fiction...:-) lol. Oh well, I guess I have to do it because I like writing fan fiction. So with out furthur ado or distractions: I do not own anything that has to do with National Treasure.**

**Here's Chapter 6!**

Cecilia judged the distance between herself and her target and quickly acted. She pulled up the dart gun and shot three times, managing to catch Knox by surprise- two darts had found their target.

As Knox fell she knew she didn't have much time before he woke again, and his burly friend Dylan, for that matter. She didn't stop to look at Riley, he was dead, and she was going to carry out his last wishes if it killed her too. A tear slid down her cheek as she frantically threw things aside. And finally she found it, after long last. And it had been in plane sight! She cried to herself at how easy it should have been for them to get out of there.

She threw open the door, and the two figures stumbled out, blinking furiously.

"What the hell is happening out here?" Ben demanded.

Cecilia ignored the question, "Hi, I'm Cecilia Thompson, we haven't met. Your questions can all be answered later, now we have to go."

She attempted to usher them out, hoping they wouldn't see Riley. She was totally going to go to hell for this.

"Where is he? Where's Riley!?" Abigail yelled at her, her beautifully done up hair looking frazzled but no less beautiful. Her white dress was smudged with soot in places as well, but otherwise she still looked like a radiant bride. A pissed off bride, but a bride none the less.

"He's fine, he went ahead to secure our ride. Now let's go!"

"But, we…"

"GO!" she shouted.

And they would have made it out, if Ben hadn't turned to look one last time. Ben's eyes widened and he pulled out of her grasp running back and dropping to his knees beside the crumpled form. He gently pulled his friend's head into his own lap, cradling him.

Abi was at his side in an instant, tears streaming down both of their cheeks.

"We need to go!" Cecilia pleaded with them. "They're gonna wake up soon and we are gonna all die. He died to save us, don't make his sacrifice in vain!"

--

In the hazy state of his mind Riley could hear them, but not really make out what they were saying. He heard Cecilia crying and wished he had never brought her into this.

_Riley suspected that something weird was going on. And he knew Dylan had something to do with it. But he didn't know how to prove it to Seduski, and he couldn't go to Ben, because that would blow the whole thing. So instead, he called up his best friend who he hadn't spoken with in years. Not since they had decided to break off their engagement. They had agreed that staying friends was the best thing and that they would keep in tact._

_Yeah, like that happened. It took some convincing, but he finally got her to agree to help him. _

_When she arrived, he had been so relieved. They began snooping around without alerting anyone. _

_And then it happened. They had been having dinner in the apartment when his phone had rung. It was Seduski. He had been informed that Ben and Abi had both been kidnapped two hours previously. He had excused himself from dinner and cried himself into a fitful sleep._

"We can't leave him!" Ben shouted.

"He's dead," she yelled back. "And besides… (She paused, hating to play this card) he never forgave you. The only reason he came back was because Seduski offered to pay him a large sum for his help."

"I don't believe you," Ben said without looking up. Somehow he had known that something wasn't right from the begining. He just had no idea what it was.

"And you shouldn't, that bitch is a compulsive liar,"

They all spun around, Ben still clutching Riley.

"Dylan! Hi, how's it going? We were just getting ready to…" Cecilia stammered.

"Leave? Yes I got that impression after you shot me with the darts. I don't think I liked that at all." he said, advancing upon her.

"Stop, haven't you done enough?" Ben pleaded. "I'm sure if you cooperate, we could get you a deal."

"There are no deals for me Gates! And there's no saving you!" he pulled the trigger.

Abi screamed and Cecilia cried out. Ben was stuck, unable to move, knowing that in less than a second he would be dead. But the pain never came. He looked up in shock as a blur raced in front of him, and then dropped like a stone.

"Well, the kid has guts. Or had guts, you know, I bet you could see them if…."

And suddenly he was dead, lying in a heap on the floor. Seduski stood on the stairwell surveying them, re-holstering his side arm.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, I think that I am going to post this chapter and the next one. I hope you like them and they serve for your entertainment!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure; that includes but is not limited to: Ben, Abigail, and Riley :-(**

Chapter 7:

They all rushed to Riley's side. His eyes fluttered open- much to their relief and he looked at them with a small smile.

"Bullet proof vest," he elaborated tiredly.

"Uh!" Cecilia cried, and hit him on the shoulder. "You let me think you were dead!"

"Ouch! Well if it helps, I thought I was too," he said grinning up at her while rubbing his shoulder.

Ben let him go and stood up.

Seduski took his place. "Good job Poole. Many thanks; you've busted a man we've been after for a very long time. Now, the truth can finally come out," he said patting Riley on the shoulder.

"What truth?" Ben asked sharply.

Riley stood weakly, and walked toward him. "It was all a lie, Ben. It was staged, the argument in your office. I had to do it so I could keep you safe. Only, I didn't know that Dylan was in on it or I would never have agreed."

Ben looked at him like he had grown two heads and took a step back. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"They were trying to kill you Ben, I couldn't let that happen!" Riley said vehemently.

"So you lied to me and put _yourself_ in danger? How was that helping us? Why couldn't you just tell me? We could have dealt with this _together_. Like a family is supposed to. Riley," he paused his speech as though try trying to make Riley comprehend what happened. Like he was trying to comprehend what had happened. "you were shot! Twice! Because of your loyalty to _me_! You're so lucky you aren't dead right now…"

Abi cut him off, "Just what were you thinking? We thought you were dead…" she broke off into sobs.

Riley moved forward to hug her. And Ben joined them, holding the both of them close to him. God if anything happened to either of them, he would be totally devastated.

"I'm sorry," Riley whispered to them.

Cecilia bit her lip as tears came unbidden to her; she would totally give anything for that kind of love. She took a step back to lean against the wall, finally it was all over.

And thank god for that, because it was taking its toll on her. She remembered something suddenly.

"Agent Seduski," she whispered. "What are you going to do with Knox?"

He looked at her, "Good point, we'd better take him upstairs and get him a ride to the penitentiary."

"I'll help," she said, and they moved to drag him up. Their run of luck- or rather ill luck- continued on. Knox woke up in the middle of dragging him up the stairs. They had a strong grip on him, so they weren't expecting any trouble. At first he was groggy and then he lashed out at them, sending Seduski down the stairs and using Cecilia as a human shield as he grabbed the gun she had commandeered from her.

"Oh crap," she said.

"OH, Gates…" Knox called out in a sing song voice. "Oh, Gates, it's your turn to die,"

Ben, Riley, and Abi were all standing looking up at the man, with shocked looks.

"Let her go," Riley called out. "Please, she has nothing to do with this."

"Nothing?" he asked incredulously, "Then who was it who blew up my car?"

"Hey! That was totally an accident!" Cecilia said, straining against him.

(Just a small event that happened while they were trying to get away from him- its not really important)

"Let her go," Ben shouted, echoing Riley's words.

"Not until I get you Gates,"

"What have I ever done to you?" Ben asked him.

"You were born Gates, you've lived. You have the money, a girl, and best friends. You are respected in the community. Everything that you can ask for is yours. Your friend Ian told me about you. And everything you have should be MINE. So now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to kill you." Knox solemnly replied.

Ben looked around at his friends and frowned. "Ok! Fine, I'm yours, do what you want with me. But please, let them go. I'll come quietly."

There were a series of protests.

"Ben!"

"No!"

"What the hell Ben?"

"Oh, how very touching," Knox said with a grin. "Gates, if I weren't determined to kill you, we might have been friends."

He raised his gun to shoot Ben,

"Wait!" Riley shouted from behind Ben, his tone very dangerous.

Knox sighed, and put the safety back on the gun. "Yes?" no one spoke to him like that, no one.


	8. Chapter 8

** Okay, this chapter starts with a flashback of Riley's first unfortunate and horrible meeting with one Jerry Knox. It's a bit humorous at first, but then it gets down to business. Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own National Treasure or any of its Components.

Chapter 8: 

"In that ally you said you knew what it was like for me!" Riley screamed at him.

_Cecilia had found a lead. And this lead led them to a popular club on Fourth Street where Knox was supposed to hang out and make deals._

_The two of them figured that there was someone on the inside doing a job for Knox, so they didn't tell Seduski. They went alone. When they entered the club, Celia went around back and Riley went to the bar- to see what information he could wheedle out of the people there._

_As he was sitting at the barstool, he heard a voice behind him; a very attractive voice that made him shiver._

"_Is there something I can help you with?" _

_The attractive voice came with an attractive woman; she was lean, short and had brown wavy hair that stopped at her shoulders. Her eyes were a piercing silver color and it seemed as though she were staring right through him to his inner soul._

"_Ah…No thanks," he stuttered, turning back to the bar._

_She sat on the stool next to him, and placed a hand on his thigh. "Are you sure? You look awful tense,"_

_He sputtered, Scotch going all over the counter, and his cheeks flaming. She smiled an impish grin at him as he took her hand and threw it off of his leg. He left the bar and made for the crowd, trying to disappear._

_He felt a hand on his shoulder, "Wait!"_

_He turned around to face the woman, who was barely a woman at that, she was probably only 20, if even. "Listen…"_

"_Emma," she supplied with a tight smile._

"_Okay; listen Emma, I'm sorry but I can't help you with what you want." He snapped at her._

"_No, wait- please. I can help you; I just needed to find out if you were working for him. I know where your friend is, follow Me." she said, gesturing over her shoulder._

_Riley followed her into the alley outback, stopping only to alert Celia- who joined them, and to keep an eye on possible people who could be watching them._

_When they reached the dark and damp alley Riley asked, "Okay, what is this all about?"_

"_I think I can help you find your friends," Emma said looking around nervously, her chestnut hair flinging around with her every move._

"_Yes, and?" Celia asked impatiently, arms folded, foot tapping._

"_You have to promise me something," Emma said softly without looking at them. "I want out, and if I tell you what I know, you have to help me get out. I have a little girl; she shouldn't be growing up like this."_

_Riley hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Deal,"_

_Emma looked around the alley again conspiratorially and whispered. "Okay, so I heard something about a gala on Fourth Street. Jerry said that they were holding two people in the b…"_

_She was cut off by the sound of gunfire, and she toppled to the ground unceremoniously landing at Riley's feet. Cecilia instantly turned to the sound, whilst Riley dropped to his knees next to the dying woman. Emma grabbed his hand, "Take care of my daughter, make sure she's safe. Her name is…is Isabelle."_

"_Stop, save your breath and you can do it yourself," Riley pleaded with her._

"_Promise me," she hissed in pain. _

_Riley didn't have the heart to deny her last wish, so he squeezed her hand and whispered "I promise she'll be taken care of…I'm sorry Emma." And then she was gone. He felt tears in his eyes, he didn't even know this woman, but she didn't deserve to die like this. Riley furiously wiped them away before turning to face the man with the gun._

"_You're Knox," he accused._

"_I'm Knox," he agreed. "And you are Mr. Riley Poole. I have to say, I thought you were out of the state and that you wouldn't be such a thorn in my side."_

"_Yeah, well I thought I was going to find my friend, go home, and relax. Guess we can't have everything we want," Riley mocked, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably._

"_You know, your loyalty is an inspiring thing. I think, I could learn to respect you, if I didn't have to kill you and your girlfriend," he sneered._

"_He's not my boyfriend!" Cecilia exclaimed at the same time that he cried, "She's not my girlfriend!"_

_Knox snorted, a strange look in his eyes. "You know what; I'm in a generous mood. I know what it's like to be you, and care about people so deeply you would sacrifice yourself for them. But believe me, all it will ever do is come back and stab you in the heart. So, you can join me now, and help me to get what I want, or I can just go back to killing you."_

"_You'll have to try and kill us, but I doubt your men can," Riley taunted, on the inside he was a bundle of nerves, but on the outside he was steely. _

_Cecilia's eyes widened as she shot him an angry sideways glance, but remained silent._

"_And what do you have, that can stand up against twelve armed men, and a club full of people who would be out here in an instant if I called?"_

"_I know Kung Fu!" he said bringing his leg up to kick out. "Whaaaa!" he cried in imitation of the karate kid on the movie._

"_Impressive I'm sure, but we must be getting on with business," Knox said motioning with his finger to shoot._

_They both dove for cover and began to run, just barely making it out of that alley._

Knox raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't seen tonight's events taking this direction. Well, really he hadn't seen tonight's events happening any of the ways it did.

"And your point would be?" he asked casually, using his gun to make hand gestures.

"Let her go, and give me five minutes to talk to you; privately." he demanded looking nervously around at the people around him.

"No way! Not happening!" Ben snapped, trying to step protectively in front of Riley.

"Ben stop," Riley said calmly. Despite the fact that Ben's concern and anger touched him very deeply, he could not let Ben die. Ben was his best friend and, well…isn't this what you did for best friends? He always had a smart ass reply or comment to add to a situation, but right now he was deadly serious.

Ben spun around on him, "No you stop Riley. He wants _me._ Not you, and if I can save you guys then let him have me. Stop trying to save me!"

Riley put a hand on his friends shoulder. "I can't do that Ben, not for you, or Abi or Celia. I haven't come so far just to be stopped now."

He pulled away from Ben, with one final pat and moved to face Knox directly.

"Don't do it Knox, I'm the one you want!" Ben said to Knox in a deadly even tone.

Behind them Abi was crying silently. She didn't know what to do. There had to be a way out of this, there always was. At least in the past there had been.

Knox surveyed them all and laughed. "Ahh, such heroism. Gates you are truly lucky to have a friend such as this. I think, Mr. Poole, I shall take you up on your offer."


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I hope you all have had a wonderful New Years! Welcome to 2008 my friends. :-) Okay, I am now posting the last two chapters. This is the end of the story, but I may add an Epiloge type thing to the end. Right now, as well as the other two stories I have going I have another National Treasure fiction in the works, hopefully it will be out soon.**

**Enjoy! Ch. 9:**

He ushered Riley into a far corner, all the while his gun on the unconscious Seduski in order to assure their peace.

"Alright Poole, what can I do for you?" he asked calmly.

"You want to hurt Ben? I mean really hurt him? Then take me, I'll be leverage enough. But you must let the others go," he said immediately, in a low voice.

"I appreciate the offer lad, but you are forgetting one key thing,"was the moody answer.

"What's that?"

"Money, I want money. You'll be a good start, but where do I get the money I want." he asked pointedly.

"You can have mine," Riley snapped. "All of it, I don't quite have as much as Ben, but I have enough; I'll sign it over to you in front of a notary. Anything I have is yours."

Knox contemplated his offer, and then nodded, "We have an accord Mr. Poole."

He extended his hand. Riley looked at it hesitantly and then reached out.

--

On the other side of the room, Ben was pacing. Abi was leaning against a wall, with her arms folded over her chest- a troubled look in her eyes. Seduski was still sitting, against a wall, rubbing a hand over his head and glaring at Knox. Cecilia was looking through some books on a shelf, seemingly untroubled.

"What does he think he's doing over there," Ben asked to no one in particular. "In case he didn't notice, I don't need him fighting my battles for me!"

This was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, but the two men in the far corner ignored it.

"Let him breathe, Gates. He's a big boy, and he knows what he's doing." Celia said without really looking at him. Instead she was focused on a book of ancient mythology.

"Thank you, that was very not helpful. How did you even get into this? I don't even know you."

"Riley asked me to come; I'm a very old and very good friend of his. I couldn't say no," she replied without looking up.

"Will you put that book down!? Riley could be signing his own death warrant right now, and you claim to be his good friend but you're just standing there." he gasped out angrily.

"What else would you have me do Gates?"

"Riley NO!" Abi's horror filled voice cried out from their left.

They looked up to see him extending a hand to the man, proverbially making a deal with the devil.

It was too late for them to do anything.

--

Knox stood up and crossed the room, using Riley as his shield this time. "Okay, everyone is free to go as soon as I make my exit. Young Mr. Poole here is coming with me. Nice doing' business with you folks," he sneered tipping his imaginary hat.

"Please just let him go," Ben begged him. "He has no idea what he's doing, just let him go!"

"I'm afraid; I can't do that, Gates. We've made a deal, and Mr. Poole here must honor his agreement."

And just like that they were gone, up the stairs and out of the picture. Bens did a very cliché thing that mach men do when they're mad: he slammed his fist into the wall; really hard. It didn't do anything except cause his hand to hurt a lot, possibly because-as they would later find out- he had broken part of it. Abi wrapped her arms around him to provide comfort.

"Surely, Agent Seduski, you have back up?" Cecilia asked, still casual.

"I do, but they wouldn't be able to get to Knox with out risking Poole's life."

"I'm willing to take the risk," she replied, raising an eyebrow at them, "Are you?"

They all looked at her like she was crazy. "No way!" Ben snarled.

"He's wearing a bullet proof vest, its either risk shooting him and injuring him, or let him be killed by Knox. And then Knox can go on his lovely way, killing more people and making more deals- Terrorizing more people! All of this with the money he will take from Riley. Your choice."

"She does make some sense, Ben," Abi said gently.

"I can't make the decision to possibly have him shot again, it's just not right," he whispered.

All pretenses of Cecilia being nonchalant were dropped as she glared at him. "None of this is right! Do you think that I want him to be hurt? I love him! And I always will! And if you do not make the decision, then I will, and Seduski will be backing me. Isn't that right?"

Agent Seduski nodded, "I'm sorry Gates, but we can't let that monster go! It may be the only chance of saving your friend anyways. Knox isn't just going to let him live and you know it."

Ben rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. He couldn't believe this, he just couldn't. "Do it," he said, knowing there was no other choice.

Seduski pulled out his phone and made the call. "Move in on him,"


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay last chapter! Like I said before, I may add an epilog type thing, so look for it! And be sure to look for my other stories soon to come! Thank you to EVERYONE who read my story, with a special thanks to all of you who have or will review:-)**

**Ch. 10**

The operation went as planned, and the four of them watched the whole thing from the safety of the Gala window.

The agents had surrounded Knox, and he pulled Riley even closer- the gun pointed at his head.

"Sir, I'm going to give you one chance to let the man go, and then we're going to shoot you." The lead agent shouted at him.

Knox considered his options, and then shoved Riley aside, but followed him with his gun. He pulled the trigger, and at the same time, so did fifteen FBI agents. The impact of the bullets on Knox's torso rocked his body and flung him like a rag doll into the ground. An agent knelt beside him, checking to make sure he was dead. He cleared the scene, and in a matter of seconds, Seduski, Ben, Abi, and Cecilia were running toward Riley.

"Call an ambulance!" Abi yelled

"Riley, Riley!" Ben said slapping his face a little. "Riley, you need to be conscious, open your eyes."

Abi and Celia set to work ripping up his nice white shirt, and pulling it out of the way, so they could get at the wound better. Abi ripped part of her dress and pressed it to the wound; unfortunately he had been shot in the shoulder, so the vest couldn't have protected him.

Riley's eyes fluttered open and he tried to focus on the faces above him, but everything was blurry. He wondered if he was losing his eyesight.

Ben gently raised his head, and put his suit jacket underneath to act as a pillow. "Hey, look at me," he ordered gently. Riley blinked harder and finally managed to focus on his best friend. His breathing came in short gasps, and he put all his energy into staying focused on Ben.

"I'm sorry Ben," he gasped out.

"Don't worry about that now," Ben said gently, but added in a harsher tone, "We will be talking about it though, so don't think you're getting out of it."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he wheezed. "But bring me a pair of earplugs when we do,"

"Ha ha, just focus on staying awake, okay?"

"Yeah," he murmured, his eyes fighting to stay open.

When the ambulance arrived the EMT's pushed them out of the way to examine him. The red sirens flashed and the sun began to set. Abi, Ben, and Cecilia were given blankets to warm up, and told to wait to the side. Seduski took their statements, and offered them a ride to the Hospital where Riley was going to be taken. Ben agreed and they rode in silence.

"I'm sorry about your friend," the agent said, not taking his eyes off the road. "He's a good kid. Brave. The world could use more like him."

"He'd laugh if he heard that coming from you," Abigail said with a small smile.

"Oh, I think you'll like to hear that his last words before he went into the ambulance were, "Tell Abi that I'm sorry about her dress,"

They all smiled slightly at that.

When the doctors stabilized Riley and gave Ben and Abi a list of his injuries and medicines he would need to be taking when he left. He told them that they were allowed to see Riley, on the condition that if they caused any problems their visitation rights would be revoked.

Ben and Abi both went in at the same time. "Good morning Riley," Abi said with a bright smile.

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked sternly.

Riley looked at them for a moment, his eyes shifting back and forth between them. "Are you guys playing good cop bad cop?" he asked.

Ben allowed himself a small smile. "No, we are simply here to have a talk with you,"

Riley averted his eyes, "Oh,"

"Look at me," Ben commanded. Riley did as he asked, the bruises on his face shone as the sunlight cast a strange glow about them.

"Riley, why did you do it?" he asked looking him straight in the eye.

"Why did I do what?" he asked feigning innocence.

Abi sat down in the chair beside Riley's bed and gave him a sympathetic smile; Ben's punishment would be enough for her. When she had found out that Riley and Ben had fought she was shocked, when she found out he wouldn't be at their wedding she was angry, and when she thought he was dead, she had been horrified.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. Not that I don't appreciate what you did, but why didn't you come to me first?"

"Seduski made me promise not to, Ben. And I did everything else because you're my best friends. If something had happened to you I would have been out of my mind crazy. You would have done the same for me, I know It." he said, his gaze never leaving Ben's.

Ben closed his eyes, breaking their staring contest. "Alright Riley, alright; but don't ever get the idea to do that again, got it?"

"I'd do it all over again, if it meant you guys were okay," Riley insisted.

"You are so stubborn!" Ben said with a smile. "Okay, let's put this behind us pal. It's been a long few days. Abi and I are going to go out and grab some breakfast, will you be okay?"

Riley smiled, "Yeah, I'll be fine." As they began to walk out he called after them, "Hey! Bring me a decent cup of coffee and a burrito!"

Abigail giggled, "Will do, Riley." She walked back and kissed him gently on the cheek, squeezing his hand before turning to leave. Ben gave him a quick pat and a warm smile.

"We'll be back soon, get some rest."

When they returned, they were considerably happier. They were not hungry; they had gotten showers, and a change of clothes. They had stopped at home, and Riley's apartment to get him some things.

They stopped outside of his door when they heard talking.

"Well, I guess this is it," sniffed Celia.

"So you're not staying then?" Riley asked sounding a little bit disappointed.

"It didn't work between us before, and I can't see it working out now. I love you Riley, I'll always love you. But I have to go home and continue my life. And you have to continue on here. You've got a great life," she laughed through her sadness, "You're freakin' rich man. You've got the best friends anyone could ask for, and I know you. You'll be okay, you always are."

Outside Ben and Abi exchanged looks, and Abi made a sad face at him. "Aww…" she mouthed (Aww, as in a bad way not "Aww…" as in cute)

"I know, so will you. I just wish it could work out for us, you know? You've been my best friend since we were 7; I always thought we'd be together forever. In all kinds of weather…you know, all the clichés. We didn't have to be in love, I just thought…"

They heard her sigh, "I know honey, me too. But I'm only a phone call away if you need me. And I'll always be your best friend. Deal?"

"Deal," he agreed.

"Then goodbye, Riley." They heard her footsteps coming toward the door and they moved away to make it look as though they had just been returning.

"Hey wait," Riley called. The footsteps stopped.

"Yes?" she asked patiently.

"Did you take care of the little girl? Isabelle?" he asked, sounding a little worried.

"Yes, I did. She's at the orphanage now, I told the lady you would be coming to see her when you got better."

"Thanks Celia," he whispered. "Bye,"

She gave him a little wave and a small smile, before walking out of the door and out of his life, again.

They gave Riley some time to pull himself together just in case before entering. "We brought you that coffee," Abigail said with a grin.

"And the burrito?" he asked hopefully, eyes on the bag in Abi's hand.

"Yes, I brought that too. We also brought some clothes and your converse,"

"Yay! My converse, I've been dying for those, I missed them!" he said excitedly.

"Err, Riley they're a pair of ratty old green converse shoes. You talk about them like they are your most prized possession."

"Well they are," Riley said with a glare, moving the shoes out of Ben's sight as though he were insulting them.

After about an hour of scarfing down food and drinking his coffee, Riley was happily settled. "So when are you guys gonna spring me from this place?" he asked innocently.

"Not today," Ben said.

"Tomorrow?" he asked.

"The doctor said that if you were good, we could take you home tomorrow. Which you better be, because the day after that we have something important to do," Abi told him pointedly.

"What do you have going on?" he asked curiously.

"Oh…just our wedding," Ben said as if it were no big deal.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that! I'm so excited that I get to be there this time! Hey, can I wear my converse?" he questioned happily at the prospect of leaving this dreaded place.

"No!" Ben and Abi both exclaimed at the same time.

"Okay, okay. God I was just asking…."

_**Fin **_


	11. Epilog

**Here is the epilog! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure.**

He stood with his hands in his pockets, nervously looking down at his feet. Today was the day; finally, finally, it was the day. After all the interruptions and strange occurrences, he was finally getting married to the woman of his dreams. And that was all he could ask for.

They had changed the location of the wedding, one reason being that it was just too beautiful to have an indoor wedding. It was now being held in a plaza, in the middle of one of the most beautiful parks in Pennsylvania. Father O'Malley had agreed to be the one to marry them, if they could ensure that there were no interruptions this time, _and_ more specifically no men barged in, guns blazing to shoot up the place. Ben and Abigail had laughed at that and told him that it definitely wouldn't happen a second time. They hoped.

In the middle of the plaza, near a fountain, was where the ceremony was actually taking place. There was an arch there, covered in flowers. There was also a white carpet leading to the arch, where Abigail would be walking any moment.

He nervously brought his hands out of his pockets and twiddled his thumbs, as it hadn't been nerve racking enough the first time they were getting married!

There was a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see his best friend smiling at him with that all knowing smug look. "You're fine Ben, actually you're perfect; in less than ten minutes, Abi is going to walk down that isle and marry you. What more could you ask for?"

Ben smiled at Riley, "I'm just glad you're here this time. It's definitely turned out to be much better with you here, than it was without you."

"Well yeah, I'd imagine not having a bunch of gun wielding buffoons come barging into your wedding would be soooo much more fun than if they did." he replied smartly, patting his friend on the shoulder.

The older man smiled, it was good to have that kid back. If only to just hear his mouth running… If he was being totally honest with himself, if Riley had died back there with that psycho gunning for him, a piece of Ben would have died to. He had never had a friend with such blind faith in him before, never one who cared so much. Sure he had had really excellent friends in the past, but none of them could light a candle to this one. He just smiled again and shook his head.

"Psst, Ben," Riley hissed slapping him in the shoulder.

"What?" Ben asked looking over.

"Look!"

And he did, thankfully it wasn't a bunch of gun wielding men. It was something much much better. It was Abigail. She stood at the end of the isle with her father, the sun illuminating her every feature. She looked like an angel, Ben thought. His angel.

She smiled at him from her spot as they began to proceed forward; everyone standing and moving around like crazy to get a glance at the bride. Her father handed her away to Ben with a knowing glance, returning to his own wife's side.

Ben reached out and clasped her hand in his own, and met her eyes. Their was an intense and burning love in those eyes, one that Ben hoped would never extinguish. As they said their vows and exchanged rings, he took the occasional opportunity to glance over at their friend. Was he…crying? No, it must have been a trick of the light. He returned his attention to Father O'Malley at the sound of his name.

"And do you…Abigail Chase; take this man, to be your husband?"

She looked at him with the a smile as bright as the sun, "I do,"

They looked to the priest for a sign of what was next. He looked at them exasperatedly his Irish brogue sounding very shrill, "Well don't just stand there! Kiss the Bride!"

So he did….

**All right, there was the epilog. It was short, but oh so sweet. The trio will be continuing their adventures in stories to come. I have the beginning of one posted already, its called "Nothing New"**

**Hope you all enjoyed it! Review!**


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